NBA owners have just approved the possibility of an expansion that would bring the league to 32 franchises. Las Vegas and Seattle were the only applicants to secure a team in their cities, as the league announced this Wednesday, March 25, 2026.
Today’s vote reflects our Board’s interest in exploring potential expansion to Las Vegas and Seattle – two markets with a long history of support for NBA basketball,”…”We look forward to taking this next step and engaging with interested parties.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement.
The meeting took place as part of the league’s traditional agenda, held at the St. Regis Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, where the vote was conducted.
When will the NBA expansion take place?
It is expected that the new franchises will join the NBA for the 2028-29 season. More details will be revealed later in the day during a press conference to be held by Commissioner Adam Silver.
The investment bank PJT Partners has been hired by the NBA to consult on potential ownership groups interested in acquiring one of the two new franchises that the league will introduce.
In addition, the firm will also evaluate the infrastructure and overall financial health of these prospective ownership groups.
For several years, there had been speculation that Las Vegas and Seattle would be the cities to host new NBA franchises, and now that possibility is becoming a reality. Washington had also been mentioned as a candidate.
What comes next is for potential owners to submit their proposals in hopes of securing the rights to the teams. The expected price tag is estimated to range between $7 billion and $10 billion.
The owners voted in favor of the expansion to reach 32 franchises. A total of 23 votes were required for approval. With this decision, two new teams will be added in the coming years.
This marks the first such expansion since 2004, when the Charlotte Bobcats entered the league after paying a $300 million expansion fee. In 2014, they were renamed the Hornets, before relocating to New Orleans and eventually being renamed again as the Pelicans.
Las Vegas is the capital of sports
If Las Vegas’ entry into the NBA is finalized, the city would then be home to four major professional leagues:
- NHL with the Golden Knights since 2017
- The NFL’s Raiders
- The Athletics, who will relocate in 2028
- And now the NBA
With this development, Las Vegas continues to strengthen its identity as a premier destination for professional sports, attracting major leagues and expanding its influence across the athletic landscape in the United States.
